Blasts from the Past: February 1, 2018

The Gettysburg College Women’s Center (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)

By Shannon Zeltmann, Staff Writer

This week in 1918, Gettysburg College became a member of the American University Union in Europe. This was a union which was created to help American students who became service men, fighting in France during World War I. It cost $100, which members of the faculty paid for as a nod to the students whom they admired for serving the country abroad. There were two hotels in Paris the Union had bought to provide a place for these college service men to use as a “simple club” or a place where they could go if they had wounds. They could also “find American papers and magazines” and hear “statistics relating to American college men serving in France.”

This week in 1968, the College Bookstore was robbed for the first time in its history. The door had been broken open and window in the stock room had been forcefully opened. The burglars had entered and, instead of grabbing any of the valuable textbooks, they took the 700-pound safe. They could not open it in the bookstore, so they decided to wheel it out and down a flight of stairs, which they destroyed. They had had enough with the safe, so they broke the bottom of it by Plank Gym and took off with $450 in checks, which had been made out to the bookstore, overlooking other cash that was sitting around.

This month in 1988, the college held the 8th Annual Martin Luther King celebration. 700 people from the college and community attended with many participating. Speakers included Reverend Joan Salmon Campbell, two Gettysburg High School students, and the Morgan State Choir. The event had small beginnings as a community fair on Epiphany and it gradually grew into a larger and more formal event. Many of the students who attended believed that it was a wonderful asset to the community in recognizing black history. The annual celebration continues to this day.

This week in 1993, a conference to unify women on campus. The Gettysburgianreported it was held by the Women’s Center and Panhellenic Council. The theme of the event was “Come Together,” and it aimed to bring students and faculty together to “explore our inner-selves and increase self-esteem.”

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Author: Shannon Zeltmann

Shannon Zeltmann '21 is planning on double majoring in history and art history. She is also planning on being part of the Symphony Orchestra, the Civil War Club, and Nerd Nation. Shannon is an all-around nerd, who loves art and history too much and loves to read, draw, and play her cello on the side. She is excited to be a new member of The Gettysburgian team.